1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for a flow model simulation. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for simulating, animating, and analyzing flow models in an enhanced modeler.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flow model is a model that describes how data is processed and moved throughout a system. In one example, the flow model is a diagrammatic representation of the execution and data flow of a process. A flow model may be a simple, two-dimensional diagram that illustrates the activities that transform data, the manner in which the data is stored, the means by which data is sent and received from the system, and the routes through which the data can pass. Types of flow models may include, for example and without limitation, activity diagrams, flow charts, process flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, UML activity diagrams. Flow models may be generated using any number of currently existing or later developed modeling applications and/or languages, such as, for example and without limitation, unified modeling language (UML), business process execution language (BPEL), business object model (BOM), and Visio.
A flow model includes structural information and semantic information. The structural information of a flow model is information responsible for the presentation of the flow model. In other words, structural information controls the look and feel of the flow model. Structural information may dictate the flow model elements that are present, and how the elements are interconnected. Semantic information of a source model is information relating to the behavior of the elements present in the source model. For example, semantic information may describe the manner in which data of a flow model is manipulated and transformed as it proceeds through elements of the flow model. Incompatibilities between different flow model applications often results in the failure to preserve the structural and semantic information of a source model when simulated in a non-native modeler. Consequently, processing a source model on a non-native modeler often results in a target view model that looks and behaves differently than if the source model were processed on its native modeling application. As used herein, a native modeling application is a modeling application in which a source model is generated.